Portfolio — 26 March 2026

The Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, Dr Andrew Charlton, had an active day in the House on 26 March 2026, contributing to the matter of public importance debate on the fuel crisis and making a separate member's statement on Parramatta's colonial heritage — two distinct subjects that together reveal the breadth of his parliamentary engagement.

On the fuel crisis, Dr Charlton mounted a two-track defence: first, cataloguing the government's immediate response measures, and second, placing responsibility for Australia's underlying fuel vulnerability squarely on the Leader of the Opposition's tenure as energy minister. The government's response he described as comprehensive — onshoring reserves, releasing 20 per cent of those reserves, changing fuel standards, securing regional fuel distribution, directing the ACCC to police price gouging, appointing a fuel coordinator, and convening National Cabinet [TA-260326-house-acd3ee5310f1:s075].

Against that, Dr Charlton argued that the Leader of the Opposition had allowed four of the country's six refineries to close during his time as energy minister and had relocated fuel reserves to Texas — decisions Dr Charlton characterised as the structural cause of the current crisis [TA-260326-house-acd3ee5310f1:s075]. Dr Charlton went further, accusing the Leader of the Opposition of concealing from the public in April 2022 that energy prices would rise by more than 10 per cent after the election, amending regulations to delay the price-rise notification until after the poll, initially denying knowledge of the decision, and later admitting he had signed the relevant regulation [TA-260326-house-acd3ee5310f1:s075].

The cumulative framing was a contrast between a government acting decisively under pressure and an opposition offering criticism without solutions.

Earlier in the sitting day, Dr Charlton used a member's statement to advocate for National Heritage List protection of three colonial-era sites in Parramatta: Elizabeth Farm, described as the oldest surviving European building in Australia and the birthplace of the merino wool industry; Experiment Farm Cottage, where the first former convict landholder demonstrated the colony's capacity for self-sufficiency; and Hambledon Cottage, identified as one of Australia's most intact early colonial homes [TA-260326-house-acd3ee5310f1:s095].

The immediate trigger is a proposed development of 483 multistory dwellings at Gregory Place, which Dr Charlton argued would compromise sightlines, archaeological fabric, and the skyline context of Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral — a parish serving some 30,000 Lebanese-Australians for four decades. Dr Charlton's framing balanced development and heritage directly: he acknowledged Parramatta holds the highest number of housing approvals in New South Wales while contending that "growth without memory is not progress" [TA-260326-house-acd3ee5310f1:s095].

On next steps, he confirmed he is engaging with the Australian Heritage Council to finalise its assessment, working with the Minister for Environment to prioritise recognition, and has launched a community petition. The heritage matter sits at the intersection of the Environment and Housing portfolios and is one to watch as the Heritage Council assessment concludes.

Across both contributions, Dr Charlton operated in a mode of active constituency and policy advocacy — defending the government's crisis management record in one forum and pressing a local heritage case with cross-portfolio implications in another.